They’re still trying to pin something on Galloway

The MP George Galloway angrily rejected fresh allegations last night from a US senate investigation that he lied under oath about Saddam Hussein’s multimillion-pound oil-for-food programme.

The inquiry, headed by the Republican Norm Coleman, claimed he had "knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath" when he appeared before a committee hearing in Washington in May.

The MP for Bethnal Green and Bow won widespread acclaim, especially from anti-Iraq war campaigners, when he flew to the US capital to confront Mr Coleman.

An assistant to Mr Galloway, Ron McKay, who sat beside him at the Senate hearing, said last night that the MP was prepared to fly to Washington again to face the new allegations. "If such an allegation has been made, George denies it absolutely and is ready to fly to the US tomorrow if Coleman brings these charges and it will all be sorted in court," he said.
Mr Galloway, who was forced out of the Labour party because of anti-war comments, and the senator have been at loggerheads since the Senate began its inquiry into oil-for-food, a UN humanitarian programme intended to alleviate Iraqi suffering from sanctions. Saddam abused the programme. The latest report from the committee claims:

· "Galloway personally solicited and was granted oil allocations from the government of Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein. The Hussein regime granted Galloway and the Mariam Appeal (an organisation he set up to help Iraqis suffering from sanctions) eight allocations totalling 23m barrels from 1999 through to 2003."

· "Galloway’s wife, Dr Amineh Abu-Zayyad, received approximately $150,000 in connection with one of those oil allocations."

· "Galloway’s political campaign, the Mariam Appeal, received at least $446,000 in connection with the oil allocations granted to Galloway and the Mariam Appeal under the oil-for-food programme."

· "The Hussein regime received improper ’surcharge’ payments amounting to $1,642,000 in connection with the oil allocations granted to Galloway and the Mariam Appeal."

· "Galloway knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before the sub-committee."

Mr Galloway said last night: "There is not a shred of truth in any of these allegations. There has been no impropriety and I have not received even one thin dime from the oil-for-food programme."

Tariq Aziz, the former deputy prime minister who has been in jail since the US invasion of Iraq, allegedly told the investigation the oil had been allocated in the name of two of Mr Galloway’s agents, one of whom was Fawaz Zureikat. However, he added: "These oil allocations were for the benefit of George Galloway and for Mariam’s Appeal. The proceeds from the sale benefited the cause and Mr Galloway."

Mr Aziz is one of the primary witnesses mentioned in the new Senate investigation. It quotes him as authenticating a letter supposedly sent by the head of Iraqi intelligence detailing a meeting between Mr Galloway, Mr Zureikat and an unnamed intelligence officer during which the MP is said to have asked for an increased oil allocation. The letter was published in the Daily Telegraph in 2003. Mr Galloway successfully sued the newspaper, which is currently appealing against the ruling. According to the new report, Mr Aziz "stated that he recognised the ... letter and recalled seeing it in the past".

Mr Aziz also allegedly told investigators that Mr Galloway had expressed concern to him about "the appearance of taking money directly from the Iraqi government", and asked for his and his wife’s name to be omitted from official documents. However, the report found that several documents, authenticated by former regime officials, did mention Mr Galloway by name.

The report quoted the former Iraqi vice-president Taha Yasin Ramadan saying Mr Galloway, who is now an MP for the Respect party, was a "friend of Iraq" who "needed to be compensated for his support". "Galloway needed money to pay for his actions," Mr Ramadan allegedly told investigators, adding "we gave him oil to sell to make the money".

According to the report, the claim was confirmed by the former minister of oil, Amer Rashid.

Mr Galloway’s wife, Dr Abu Zayyad, from whom he is estranged, could not be contacted last night. But she is quoted in the report as denying having received any money.

Mr McKay challenged the validity of the statements made by Mr Aziz and Mr Ramadan. "Tariq Aziz has been in custody and we know from his lawyer this senate committee offered him a deal - just what I do not know, whether reduced charges or freedom - and it is ironic that Tariq Aziz , Yasin and Saddam are being accused, on the one hand, of being homicidal maniacs and on the other of being relied upon to give a true and accurate statements uncoerced."

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